Ventilating apparatus



United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1956 Primary Examiner-Alan Cohan Attorney- Flehr, Hohbach, Test, Aibritton and Herbert [72] inventors ForrestM. Bird 2l2 NW Cerrltos, Palm Springs, 92262; Henry L. Pohndorf, 1227 Brewster Drive, El Cerrito, California 94530 2 11 Appl. No. 221 Filed Dec. 14, 1966 [45] Patented Sept. 29, 1970 [54] VENTILATING APPARATUS 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

ABSTRACT: Ventilating apparatus having an inspiratory carl3 24-l4 tridge, an expiratory cartridge with first and second manually operable metering valve means connected to a source of fluid l37/624.l4,

[5i] lnt.Cl....... [50] FieldofSeareh............................................

and to said cartridges to provide an expiratory phase and an inspiratory phase.

Patented Sept. 29, 1970 INVENTORS Forrest M Bird BY enry L; Pohndorf VENTILATING APPARATUS This invention relates to a ventilating apparatus and more particularly to a time cycled pressure limited ventilating apparatus.

Ventilation apparatus has heretofore been provided. However, in general, it has been relatively complicated and expensive. ln addition, such equipment has been relatively large making it difficult to use in small spaces. There is, therefore, a need for a new and improved ventilating apparatus.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ventilating apparatus which is relatively compact and simple to operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above character which is relatively inexpensive.

Another object of the invention is to provide ventilating apparatus of the above character which can be utilized by relatively unskilled personnel.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above character which has a minimum number of controls.

Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a ventilating apparatus incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partially schematic representation of the ventilating apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

in general, the ventilating apparatus consists of first and second cartridges. Each of the cartridges has a body with a flow passage therein and a valve member movable between open and closed positions with respect to said flow passage in said body. The valve member in an open position permits fluid to pass through said passage and in a closed position prevents the flow of fluid through said passage. Means is provided for yieldably urging said valve member to a closed position. A diaphragm is mounted in the body and is connected to said valve member. The body is provided with a chamber which is disposed on the side of said diaphragm for receiving a fluid to apply a force to the diaphragm which is opposite that of the yieldable means. Metering means carried by the body is provided for metering a fluid under pressure into'the chamber to apply pressure to the diaphragm to urge the valve member to an open position against the force of the yieldable means. The ventilating apparatus also consists of means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the flow passage of the first cartridge and also for supplying it to the metering means of the first cartridge. Means is provided for connecting the chamber of the first cartridge to one side of the flow passage in the second cartridge. Means is also provided for venting the other side of the flow passage of the second cartridge to the atmosphere. Rate of flow valve means is provided and means connects the other side of the flow passage of the first cartridge to the rate of flow valve means and connects it to the metering means of the second cartridge. Vent valve means is mounted in the second cartridge and is connected to the chamber in the second cartridge. Means connects the other side of the flow passage of the first cartridge to the vent valve means to retain the vent valve means in a closed position during the time that air under pressure is flowing through the passage in the first cartridge.

As shown in the drawings, the ventilating apparatus consists of an outer metal case 11 which is formed by a rectangular box 12 which is provided with a rear cover 13 secured to the box 12 by screws 14.

An inspiratory cartridge 16, an expiratory cartridge 17 and a flow pressure assembly 18 are mounted in the case 11. An inspiratory time assembly 19 and an expiratory time assembly 21 are also mounted on the case 11. An inlet assembly 23 which includes a conical porous brass filter 20 is also mounted on the case 11 and is adapted to be connected to a suitable source of fluid under pressure as, for example, air under a pressure of 50 p.s.i. An outlet fitting 24 is also mounted on the case 11. The air to the inlet assembly 23 is controlled byan on-off valve 26.

Both the inspiratory cartridge 16 and the expiratory cartridge 17 are substantially identical. Both include a body 31 with a plunger 32 slidably mounted in the body. One side of a diaphragm 33 rests against a diaphragm plate 27 which, in turn, rests against the plunger 32 and is in a position to move the plunger. The outer annular margin of the diaphragm 33 is engaged between the body 31 and a cap 34 which is threaded into the body. The cap 34 is dimensioned so that a space 36 is provided between the diaphragm 33 and the cap 34. The space 28 provided on the other side of the diaphragm is vented to the atmosphere through a vent hole 29. The diaphragm 33 and the plunger 32 are yieldably urged in a direction towards the cap 34 bya spring 37 which has one end engaging the valve member 38 provided on the plunger 32 and has the other end engaging the cap 39 threaded into'the other end of the body 31. The valve member 38 carries an O-ring seal and is adapted to seat against a smooth surface or valve seat 40 shown as part of the body 31. A pair of threaded bores 41 and 42 are provided in the body 31 and are in communication with a flow passage 43 which extends from the bores 41 and 42. The flow passage 43 is sealed from the space 28 by an O-ring assembly. As can be seen, flow through the passage 43 is controlled by the valve member 38 which engages the seat 40 and which is movable between open and closed positions with respect to the seat. A pair of threaded bores 44 and 46 are provided in the cap 34. The bore 44 is in communication with a passage 47 provided in the cap 34 and the bore 46 is in communication with a passage 48 provided in the cap which opens into the space 36. The passage 48 is in communication with chamber 36 through an opening 49 in cap 34.

The inspiratory time assembly 19 and the expiratory time assembly 21 are also substantially identical and serve as metering means as hereinafter described. Each consists of a body 51 which is threaded into the cap 34. A needle valve 52 is threaded into the body 51 and is movable into a passage 53 provided in the body 51 and which is in communication with the passage 47 in the cap 34. The body 51 is also provided with a space 56 which communicates with passage 54 which, in turn, opens into an annular space 55 that is in communication with the passage 48 of the body 34. The valve metering passage 53 establishes communication between passage 47 and space 56. Thus, it can be seen when the needle valve 52 is moved to an open position, the passages 53 and 54 communicate with each other through the space 56. A nut 57 is threaded onto the body 51. A knob 58 is mounted over the nut 57 and is secured to the needle valve 52 by a set screw 59. A

' spring 61 is mounted over the needle valve 52 and has one end engaging the nut 57 and the other end engaging the knob 58. The cartridge together with the associated time assembly is mounted on the case 11 by a nut 62.

In the expiratory cartridge 17, fittings 66 and 67 are mounted in the threaded bores 41 and 42, respectively,-and fittings 68 and 69 are mounted in the bores 44 and 46, respectively. In the inspiratory cartridge 16, fittings 71 and 72 are mounted in the threaded bores 41 and 42 and a fitting 73 is mounted in the threaded bore 46. Vent valve means 74 is mounted in the threaded bore 44 of the inspiratory cartridge 16. This vent valve means consists of a body 76 which is threaded into the bore 44. The body 76 is provided with a passage 77 which is in communication with the opening 49 and passage 48 provided'in the cap 34. The passage 77 opens into a central bore 78 in the body 76. This bore is open to the atmosphere through a port 79 provided in the body. A valve member 81 is slidably mounted in the body 76 and is movable between open and closed. positions with respect to the passage 77 to interrupt the communication between the passage 77 and the bore 78 and port 79. The valve member 81 is provided with a seal ring 84 which is adapted to engage a smooth valve seat 85 provided in the body 76.- A diaphragm 86 is retained in the body by a vent cap 90 threaded into the body 76. The

diaphragm is adapted to be moved into engagement with atop flange 82 of the valve member 81 to move the valve member to a closed position. A space 87 is provided between the vent cap 76 and the diaphragm 86 and is in communication with a passage 88 provided in the vent cap 90. The vent cap 90 is also provided with a nipple 89 so that a tube can be connected to the body.

The flow pressure assembly 18 consists of a valve body 91 which has a needle valve 92 threadedly mounted therein. The needle valve is adapted to interrupt a flow passage 93 extending through the body and opening into threaded bores 94 and 96 provided in the body. Fittings 97 and 98 are provided in the bores 94 and 96, respectively. The needle valve 92 is provided with a knob 101 similar to the knob 58 hereinbefore described for operating the same. The body 91 is secured to the case 11 by a nut 102.

The tubing which is utilized for connecting the various fittings to each other are illustrated schematically by the broken lines in FIG. 3.

Operation and use of the ventilating apparatus may now be briefly described as follows. Let it be assumed that air or oxygen under suitable pressure as, for example, 50 p.s.i., is supplied to the on-off valve 26 and that this valve is on and this air is supplied under pressure to the inlet fitting 23. The air travels from the inlet fitting to the expiratory cartridge 17 to the fittings 67 and 68. Let it be assumed at this time that both the expiratory cartridge 17 and the inspiratory cartridge 16 are in closed positions and that the expiratory phase is in command. The expiratory cartridge 17 is activated first. The expiratory time assembly 21 meters gas supplied through fitting 68, through passage 47, space 56, annular space 55, passage 48, passage 49, into space 36 on one side of the diaphragm 33. The time required to fill the space 36 and to cause the diaphragm to move the plunger 32 to move the valve member 38 against the force of the spring 37 away from the valve seat 40 is determined by the rate of flow into the space 36 which, in turn, is determined by the position of the needle valve 52. The position of the needle valve 52 is determined by the position of the knob 58.

After the conclusion of the expiratory time, the plunger 32 is opened by the force of the gas against the diaphragm 33 to move the valve member 38 away from the seat 40 to permit gas from the fitting 67 to pass into the space 43 and to communicate with the fitting 66. The gas from the fitting 66 is sup plied to three different points. First, it is supplied to the fitting 98 of the flow/pressure assembly 18 where it passes through the passage 98, assuming that the needle valve 92 is in an open position, through the fitting 97 and thence to the outlet fitting 24 provided on the case to be utilized in the manner desired. By way of example, as set forth in copending application Ser. No. 60l,769, filed December l4, 1966, now US. Pat. No. 3,467,092 the gas can be utilized for activating a venturi assembly to initiate inspiration of anesthesia apparatus or resuscitation apparatus. The gas from the fitting 66 is also supplied to the nipple 73 of the inspiratory'cartridge 16. It is also supplied to the nipple 89 of the outlet vent assembly 74 to supply a pressure to the diaphragm 86 to keep the valve member 81 in a closed position as long as the valve of the expiratory cartridge is open.

The gas which is delivered to the fitting 73 is metered through the inspiratory time assembly 19 by passing through the passage 47, passage 53, space 56, through the passage 54, annular space 55, the passage 48 into the space 36 on one side of the diaphragm 33. The rate at which this space 36 is filled is controlled by the position of the needle valve 52 which, in turn, is controlled by the knob 58. As soon as the pressure within the chamber 36 is sufficient to overcome the pressure of the spring 37, the valve member 38 is moved away from the valve seat 40 to permit communication between the fittings 71 and 72 to vent the chamber 36 in the expiratory cartridge to the atmospheric opening 71 through the fittings 69 and 72. The spring 37 immediately urges the plunger 32 to the right as viewed in FIG. 3 to move the valve member 38 into engagement with the seat 40 to interrupt the communication between the fittings 66 and 67 and to thereby terminate the inspiratory phase. I

As soon as the expiratory cartridge is closed, no further gases are supplied to the fitting 66 and, therefore, gases are no longer supplied to the flow pressure assembly 18. Also, gases are no longer supplied to the fitting 73 or to the outlet vent assembly 74. The pressure in the chamber 36 of the inspiratory valve assembly 16 is vented through the outlet vent assembly 74 through the flow pressure assembly 18 and through the outlet fitting 24 and through the apparatus which may be connected to the outlet fitting as, for example, a venturi assembly. The pressure within the chamber 36 is sufficient to move the valve member 81 to an open position to permit the gases within the chamber 36 to exhaust through the vent assembly 74. As soon as-the chamber 36 of the inspiratory cartridge 16 is vented to the atmosphere, the spring 37 immediately forces the valve member 38 into engagement with the valve seat. Both the inspiratory cartridge and the expiratory cartridge are in a closed position and the cycle just described is repeated.

With the foregoing ventilating assembly, it can be seen that the inspiratory time and the expiratory time can readily be controlled merely by operating the knobs 58 which are utilized to determine the time which is required to fill the chambers 36 of the respective cartridges. Thus, it can be seen that with three simple controls, one for controlling the inspiratory time; another for controlling the expiratory time; and the other for controlling the flow through the outlet 24, it is possible to achieve all desired results for a controlled respiratory pattern. The inspiratory and expiratory time ratios can be readily established by simple adjustments to the control knobs. The maximum inspiratory pressure can be easily regulated to meet existing pulmonary resistances by adjustment of the flow pressure control knob. The use of the outlet vent as sembly 74 which is open for a relatively short period of time as, for example, a few milliseconds, makes it possible for the inspiratory and expiratory cartridges to interact with each other to provide the desired inspiratory and expiratory times. It can be seen that the apparatus is completely pneumatic and can be utilized in conjunction with explosive gases. The gas under pressure which is being utilized is used for operating the cartridges.

The apparatus is very simple and can be operated by relatively unskilled personnel. As explained in copending application Ser. No. 601,769, filed December 14, 1966, it can be used in a number of applications without modification.

We claim:

1. In a ventilating apparatus, first and second cartridges, each of said cartridges having a body with a flow passage therein, a valve member movable between open and closed positions with respect to said flow passage in said body, said valve member in an open position permitting fluid to pass through said passage and in a closed position preventing the flow of fluid through said passage, means yieldably urging said valve member to a closed position, a diaphragm mounted in the body and connected to said valve member, said body being provided with a chamber disposed on one side of said diaphragm, metering means carried by the body for metering a fluid under pressure into the chamber to apply pressure to the diaphragm to urge the valve member to an open position against the force of the yieldably means, means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the flow passage of said first cartridge and also for supplying it to the metering means of said first cartridge, means connecting the chamber of the first cartridge to one side of the flow passage in the second cartridge, means venting the other side of the flow passage of the second cartridge to the atmosphere, rate of flow valve means, means connecting the other side of the flow passage of the first cartridge to the rate of flow valve means and for connecting it to the metering means of the second cartridge, vent valve means mounted in the second cartridge and connected to the chamber in the second cartridge, and means connecting the other side of the flow passage of the first cartridge to the vent valve means to retain the vent valve means in a closed position during the time that air under pressure is flowing through the passage in the first cartridge.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said metering means includes a flow passage in said body, needle valve means adjustably positioned in said flow passage for controlling the flow of fluid therethrough, and means for operating'the needle valve means.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said means connected to the metering means of said second cartridge and connected to the rate of flow valve means and connected to the outlet vent assembly are connected to the other side of said passage in the first cartridge.

4. In a ventilating apparatus for controlling the inspiratory phase and the expiratory phase in a respiratory pattern, a source of fluid, first metering valve means connected to said source of fluid and through which said gas flows continuously, a first cartridge having a flow passage therein, valve means carried by the cartridge and movable between open and closed positions, said valve means in an open position permitting flow of fluid through said passage and in a closed position preventing flow of fluid through said passage, yieldable means urging said valve to a closed position, fluid operated means carried by the cartridge for moving the valve means to an open position against the force of the yieldable means, means connecting said first metering valve means to said fluid operated means, second metering valve means, means connecting said second metering valve means to said flow passage in said first cartridge, a second cartridge having a flow passage therein, valve means movable between open and closed positions carried by said second cartridge, said valve means of said second cartridge in an open position permitting flow of fluid through the passage in said second cartridge and in a closed position preventing the flow of fluid through said passage in said second cartridge, yieldable means in said second cartridge urging said valve means in said second cartridge to a closed position, fluid operated means carried by the second cartridge for moving said valve means in the second cartridge to an open position, means connecting said second metering valve means to the fluid operated means of the second cartridge, vent valve means connected to said second metering valve means, said vent valve means having a flow passage therein, a valve member in said vent valve means movable between opet'iwand closed positions, said valve member in a closed position'preventing flowof fluid through the passage in said vent valve means and in an open position permitting the flow of fluid through said passage in said vent valve means, means connecting said vent valve means to the passage in said first cartridge, one end of said passage in said second cartridge being open to the atmosphere, means connecting the first metering valve means and said fluid operated means of said first cartridge to said passage in said second cartridge.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 together with valve means for controlling the rate of flow through said passage in said first cartridge when said valve means in the first cartridge is in an open position. 

